Michigan’s historic sites and museums offer summer learning opportunities
The state of Michigan’s Historical Museum System with its 11 historic sites and museums around the state gives families dozens of learning opportunities this summer with special programs and tours. The Michigan Historical Museum, located in downtown Lansing, is open year-around and offers visitors a glimpse into Michigan’s past.
“The Michigan Historical Museum is a popular attraction for teachers and their students during the school year, and is open year-around for families and visitors to Michigan to enjoy. We offer many summer activities and have sites around Michigan to explore, making it is easy to pique a child’s interest in history,” said Sandra Clark, director of the museum. “We encourage families to visit our museum and historic system sites around the state to learn about the many facets of Michigan’s past.”
The Michigan Historical Museum System includes the Michigan Historical Museum in downtown Lansing. The museum is the flagship of the state’s historical museum system and offers five levels of permanent and changing exhibits that tell the story of Michigan’s past from pre-contact through the late 20th century. Exhibits include interactive computers, audio-visual presentations and hands-on elements. The museum features a dramatic four-story atrium and a three-story-high topographical map of the state. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors, an optional $2 for children 6 to 17 years old and free for children under 5.
Other sites in the system include: The Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at North Higgins Lake State Park near Roscommon, which tells the story of the CCC in Michigan during the Great Depression. The Father Marquette National Memorial in Straits State Park in St. Ignace, which pays tribute to Father Jacques Marquette, the French Jesuit missionary who established Michigan’s earliest European settlements at Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace in 1668 and 1671, respectively. Fayette Historic Townsite in Fayette Historic State Park in Garden, which features a well-preserved company town that operated from 1867 to 1891 manufacturing charcoal pig iron. ·Fort Wilkins and the Copper Harbor Lighthouse at Fort Wilkins Historic State Park in Copper Harbor, a well-preserved example of army life in the mid-19th century. The site also includes the Copper Harbor Lighthouse, which also dates to the mid-19th century and can be visited by boat for a small fee. New this summer is a hands-on children’s exhibit in the married enlisted men’s quarters. Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena is the visitor center to the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and features the story of maritime use of the Great Lakes. Hartwick Pines Logging Museum at Hartwick Pines State Park in Grayling tells the history of logging and the timber industry in the 19th century in Michigan. The museum is situated in the largest remaining stand of virgin white pine in Michigan. The Iron Industry Museum in Negaunee celebrates Michigan’s iron ore industry and the communities it built. Iron mined in Michigan built railroads to the West and skyscrapers in large US cities. The museum overlooks the Carp River and the first iron forge in the Lake Superior region. Its new walking trails overlook the river valley. The Mann House in Concord tells the story of Victorian life in Michigan. This beautiful house, built in 1883, showcases many late-Victorian features and has a restored carriage house with carriages and sleighs. The Sanilac Petroglyphs near Cass City are ancient rock carvings by Native Americans. They were discovered after a massive wildfire swept through the area in 1881. Tawas Point Lighthouse at Tawas Point State Park in East Tawas focuses on the maritime history of the area. The lighthouse also has a unique program that allows visitors to be a lighthouse keeper, performing light duties and giving tours while staying in the lighthouse. Walker Tavern near Brooklyn was a stagecoach stop between Detroit and Chicago in the 19th century. It now interprets Michigan’s frontier days and the stagecoach era.
Most sites in the Michigan Historical Museum System, with the exception of the museum itself, are free to the public. Sites located in state parks require a Recreation Passport to enter the park. For more information on the Recreation Passport, go to www.michigan.gov/recreationpassport.
For more information on the Michigan Historical Museum System, including hours of operation, admission fees, visitor information, programs and special events, go to www.michigan.gov/museum.
